Carmelo Anthony will sit against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, despite pleas from the hobbled star, according to Frank Isola of NYDailyNews.com. Anthony has lobbied his coaching staff to play despite claiming he landed awkwardly on his left ankle and is still sore:

“I'm real sore right now…ankle, knee, hip. It was the way I landed on the floor," Anthony said, according to Isola.

While Anthony's toughness and desire to be on the court with his teammates is admirable, it isn't in the best interest of the Knicks to play and risk further injury.

Cleveland hasn't been very good this season, so it makes sense to take some precautionary steps and allow Melo to heal before putting him back on the floor.

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UPDATE: Friday, Dec. 14 at 12:35 p.m. ET by Ethan Grant

Officially, reports from the Knicks are out that Carmelo is questionable for tomorrow night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday had the scoop:

It's no surprise after Melo went down that we might not see him for a few games. Since the rest of the team is red-hot and the Knicks can't afford to lose him long-term, don't be surprised if team doctors decide to hold out the superstar against Cleveland.

Continue to check back on Melo's status as the game approaches on Saturday night.

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UPDATE: Friday, Dec. 14 at 8:55 a.m. ET by Tim Daniels

Anthony's status for Saturday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers remains up in the air. The star forward said he doesn't know if his ankle will allow him to suit up, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.

Carmelo, speaking with a small group of reporters, says he is not sure if he'll play Saturday vs Cavs.

The injury happened midway through the third quarter with the Knicks ahead, 77-61. Careening into the lane for a layup, Anthony was walloped by Dwight Howard and drew the foul. On impact, Anthony went down hard and landed awkwardly, leaving mouths agape with fear at Madison Square Garden.

However, ‘Melo popped back up and knocked down one of his two free throws to put the Knicks ahead by 17. Unfortunately, the awkward landing visibly affected Anthony, as he came away with a noticeable limp and trainers took him to the locker room.

Before being injured, Anthony had been sensational throughout the contest. Continuing a recent streak of scintillating play against top teams, Anthony had 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting and three rebounds in a mere 23 minutes of play.

That’s nothing new for Anthony, who has to be an early-season MVP candidate. Heading into Thursday night’s clash with the Lakers, Anthony was averaging 27.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while leading New York to a 16-5 record. Those 16 victories included two against the Heat and one against the Nets, as the Knicks soared ahead of their Eastern Conference counterparts.

With the Knicks in a comfortable position, it’s likely that they will be as conservative as possible in regard to Anthony’s injury.

Still, be sure to check back in as we give you the latest updates on Anthony's injury and return date.